Nine Questions

Mike Superhero, the self described "Optimus Prime of lyrics and rhymes," was born and raised in Tucson and recently graduated from the UA with a degree in communication. Superhero creates his own raps about comic books, high-top shoes, parties, Mario Kart 64, sorority girls, grandmas and tuition. He was selected to contribute tracks to the first two volumes of Zia Records' You Heard Us Back When.... Check out his MySpace page or catch him at Sports on Congress on Thursday, Oct. 23.

What was the first concert you ever saw?

I am sad to say it was Slow Jams at the Tucson Convention Center.

What CDs are in your changer right now?

A CD I made of instrumentals; James Blunt, All the Lost Souls; a Luke G. demo; Cypress Hill; The Verve Pipe, Villains.

How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?

More than 400 CDs, 2,000-plus songs on my computer, a few vinyls and a couple of tapes.

Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?

I download legally. I did illegally a couple of times, but then my computer had a seizure.

What was the first album you owned?

The Forrest Gump soundtrack, various artists. The first noncompilation album was Ice Cube, War and Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc).

What song would you like to have played at your funeral?

One of my own, and then something like The Mamas and the Papas, "California Dreamin'." But it actually depends a lot on how I die.

Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?

Christina Aguilera, "Genie in a Bottle." That beat is sick. I listen to it and act gangster. Weird, I know. Also, I have set up all my G.I. Joes, Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, X-Men and stuffed animals in my room and perform for them like it was my very own Warped Tour.

What band or artist changed your life, and how?

Honestly, no band or artist has changed my life. I am too in my own world for that to happen.

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?

Eric B. and Rakim, Paid in Full.